Having recently completed a 10K run, I realized a handful of things useful to liken to the spiritual journey I am on with God.
#1: 10K isn't really 10K (To be fair, the event organizers did state it in fine print).
It's the same with the journey of faith & life. God has a plan, and we need to read the fine print.
#2: Run for the finish line, not for the mileage.
If you quit before the finish line, you miss the point. Many people were griping and stopping at the 10K mark, which was a fairly narrow bridge that allowed four abreast to cross. Just run lah!
#3: The finish line is likely to be hidden by many bends and turns.
The last kilometer or so was a whole series of 'blind' bends and turns that obscured the finish line. It made the whole final stretch a pain to run (literally for me, because of #4). In other words, just keep running till you cross the finish line.
#4: Unexpected things can happen, so deal with it.
At the 5K mark, I developed an unexpected knee pain that made me slow down and even stop at several junctures. I never had that sort of pain on a 10K before, and I thought I was going to have to resort to walking. Rather than give up, I managed to endure the pain and keep a constant (albeit slower) pace to the finish.
#5: Forerunners who know the way make great encouragers.
Shortly after the (deceptive) 10K marker, I encountered people, who had finished earlier, on the way back. A number of them encouraged those of us still running, shouting "Just 500m more!" or stuff like that. Having someone who's been there and done that tell you how far to go is really very helpful.
<BONUS> #6: It is good to have someone to run the race with you.
If you didn't already know this, it is good to have a friend or two to run the race with you. Of course, it's going to be a little different for real day-to-day life, but the principle's the same. Stick together, share with each other what's going on, and press forward in faith!
